mbrace is essentially the new Tele-Aid. You won't ever see "Tele-Aid" in an option list or on a window sticker of a new car... unless it's been on the dealer's lot since the stiwchover in December... which is very possible, but moving forward, mbrace replaces Tele-Aid.

The wrench and I buttons work in basically the same way as Tele-Aid, it's just a new telematics supplier that MB contracts with, so the name changed.

I believe old cars with Tele-Aid have to undergo a software update of some sort the next time they hook your car up to the computer. To switch over to the new mbrace system.

I talked to Teleaid today and they are still in service and will stay in service. This is just a competitor that is now the preferred service for new cars, however 40 USD more expensive.
The only benefit is the iPhone or BB app but it only works on a few networks, so not in my case. I will stay with Teleaid as the conversion will take 2 hours.

Got my letter this past week for the supposed upgrade to mbrace (is that like Mercedes-Benz Race?), from what I can tell so far is that the upgrade is in the annual cost. More of a down grade to Tele-aid, can't send stuff to car from internet maps anymore... now you have to enter your mbrace email to send a location from 'puter to car. That irks me big time.

Yeah, I can schedule the "change" (it's not an upgrade from my point of view) with my dealer for free which just basically changes the car to dial a different number to mbrace... but then you have to buy the mbrace service. I just bought a year of tele-aid in October, now I have to go through all this hassle just to get what I already had and pay someone else again? This stinks IMO.

So, okay this is what I've been able to find out so far....

Tele-aid had a ten year contract with Mercedes that ran out in November, and supposedly mbrace outbid them for the new contract. Yet, the top level plan with mbrace is $70 more to the customer per year than what I paid tele-aid. Yeah, it will tell your phone where your car is up to a mile & you can unlock or lock car with phone... other than that, no difference. I know where I park, and my freaking key works just fine. What I really don't like is that Mercedes & the map people (google) disabled the ability to send locations to your car via your tele-aid email address (downgrade)... which is a key feature IMO. Go through the hassles and pay more money then you get the "upgrade" again via mbrace. Very, Very disappointed in Mercedes for doing this.

Now, what tele-aid just told me is that they were looking for a map competitor to get us back on track but then the priority was switched to get this phone thingy going. Seems like if you can't remember where you put something as big as your car, how can you remember where your Iphone is?

So, anyway I had Tele-aid find & download my destination to my car and then I was told that you no longer have to subscribe to the top level service plan to get unlimited downloads and turn by turn destination stuff... and that everything on the old top level plan is now on the bottom level plan except concierge service. They said that they didn't send out letters about that to customers but they tell that to customers seeking route guidance.

So, let's take another look at this supposed upgrade. You actually have less service with mbrace at the lower level plan than you do with the tele-aid lower-plan.... hm, not much upgrade there.

Now, let's look at the "upgrade" for the upper level plans. Tele-aid, you get concierge service added. With Mbrace upper level plan, you get what is now available at tele-aid's lower level plan added, plus concierge service added, and you can find your car if you are close to it with your phone and lock it with your phone.

I'm sorry, unless finding your car with your phone is important to you... mbrace is merely an upgrade in cost and a major down grade in services at the lower level plan, and a costly upgrade to merely lock/unlock your car with phone over tele-aid at the upper level plans.

Unless I'm missing something here, I think I'll pass on this free costly downgrade. In fact, my next anniversary I'll down grade from the upper level tele-aid to the lower level tele-aid since it now has all the same features except concierge service which I've only used once when the internet went down... and start saving well over half. I'm sure I can continue to remember where I put the car.

I really appreciate the information. I've been looking at the notification from MBUSA for several months. I kept thinking that it was simply competition and a way to get me to spend more money (by getting the "free upgrade"). You just saved me a lot of trouoble and money. I'm staying with Tele-aid. BTW, they now have an iPhone app that will remotely unlock your car. Though you could always simply call them and have then unlock it for you. Tele-aid has always been good to me. I'll stick with them.

I really appreciate the information. I've been looking at the notification from MBUSA for several months. I kept thinking that it was simply competition and a way to get me to spend more money (by getting the "free upgrade"). You just saved me a lot of trouoble and money. I'm staying with Tele-aid. BTW, they now have an iPhone app that will remotely unlock your car. Though you could always simply call them and have then unlock it for you. Tele-aid has always been good to me. I'll stick with them.

I was in Yuma, AZ about 3 weeks ago, wife wanted to find a particular store, so asked for Tele-Aid for help to find it & do a turn-by-turn guidance. They said according to them, the car was supposedly in California and a good 125 miles away from where it was. Not good at all. Tele-Aid said have dealer check out car, possible antenna problems. So, I set up appointment with dealer and figured I'd get my annual service done while I was at it. I went ahead and actually talked to Mbrace via their number on their final notice letter, before making appointment with dealer. What Can I say, they sold me on the switch after-all! So, went to dealer last week for the free switch-over, plus other stuff.

I switched based on the savings now quoted. I got lifetime Mbrace for $299 and change, plus 3 free months of the full enchilada service, after which I get dinged on Credit Card for $20 per month for the top service level and I can call & cancel any given month in advance if I know I'm not going to use it and save $20 for that month. Well, 12 months in a year would equal $240 @ $20 per month... compared to the $450 per year I was paying Tele-Aid for the top level of service, Mbrace will be a savings of $210 per year! Plus, I can go back to emailing addresses/maps to my car again. So, you may want to reconsider and call that MBrace offer before it expires, and get it explained directly. I had previously relied on what Tele-Aid told me, yet when I finally called MBrace... it was a total different tale.

Anyway, the dealer switched me over but when I tried it... Mbrace saw the car about 180 miles from where it actually was. So, dealer replaced antennas... still, no good, so dealer replaced "module" and it is finally working properly. Now that had nothing to do with the switch-over, as my car was doing that with tele-aid also.

The dealer kept saying another day because of having to keep ordering parts before getting it right. They wanted to go 4 days total, But I had to put my foot down after 3, 'cause didn't bring that much medicine for wife. Anyway, part of the tele-aid/mbrace stuff is if they can't get 'er done in a day and you are more than a 100 miles from home... they cover up to $300 per day for the added expenses. We got 2 nights of our hotel and 2 days of our food bill covered. Plus a free loaner car for the whole time.

So, so far... I'm very happy with the switch-over after-all, and it turns out to be a lot cheaper than Tele-Aid after-all (in spite of what Tele-Aid had told me). So you may want to do the switch-over while you still can after-all.... now that it makes sense to do so.